As an avid PC gamer, having access to over 50,000 games on Steam is amazing. But you’re stuck playing them at your desk, hunched over a keyboard and mouse. Wouldn’t it be great if this vast library could go mobile? Well, Valve’s new Steam Deck lets you do exactly that!
The Steam Deck essentially brings desktop-class gaming performance to a compact, portable form factor. After dominating sales in 2022 with over 1.6 million units shipped, it remains a sizzling hot device for gamers in 2023.
I‘ve had my Steam Deck for months now and feel compelled to share 9 reasons why you should get one too this year:
| Reason | Benefit To You |
|---|---|
| 1. Massive Steam Library Accessibility | Play 1000s of games from your backlog anywhere |
| 2. Exceptional Portable Performance | Smooth high FPS gameplay for latest & upcoming titles, on par with PS4/Xbox One |
| 3. Perfectly Balanced, Ergonomic Design | Extremely comfortable to hold for long gaming sessions, weighs just 1.47 pounds |
| 4. Easy Docked Mode for Big Screen Gaming | Instantly use deck as a home console by connecting to TV/monitor up to 4K |
| 5. Affordable MicroSD Storage Expansion | Increase capacity cheaply by 512GB+ for storing tonnes more games |
| 6. Linux Compatibility | Install web browsers, office suites, emulators & more. Tinker to your heart‘s content! |
| 7. Ultimate All-In-One Retro Emulation Machine | Rediscover 1000s of classic console libraries from N64, PS1, SNES etc. in one portable device |
| 8. Dedicated Long Term Product Support from Valve | Consistent updates with new features & fixes guided by direct user feedback |
| 9. Unbeatable Value proposition | Costs fraction of a similarly powered gaming laptop while offering superior versatility/utility per dollar |
Clearly, the Steam Deck redefines what‘s possible with modern handheld PCs. Let‘s dive deeper into each of these benefits:
1. Enjoy Your Massive Steam Game Library Everywhere
As a PC gamer, you likely have 100s if not 1000s of untouched games sitting in your Steam library. Maybe it’s that indie platformer you picked up in a sale years ago but never got around to playing. Or perhaps you always wanted to try Crusader Kings 3 but haven‘t had the time to properly sit down with it.
The Steam Deck finally lets you chip away at your backlog whenever and wherever you want!
According to the latest figures from Valve, over 7000 games have been verified or rated playable on the platform. That list covers hot new releases like Spider-Man Remastered and indie hits like Cult of the Lamb.
But more importantly, it spans beloved PC classics like the Portal series, Pillars of Eternity, Stardew Valley and many more. These complex keyboard/mouse games that were previously confined to your desktop can now accompany you on long commutes, vacations abroad or wherever life takes you!
So if you want unlimited access to the games you already own on Steam, there’s simply no better portable solution than the deck.
Image credit: NME
2. Desktop-Class Gaming Power in Your Hands
Don’t let its diminutive size fool you – the Steam Deck packs a serious punch thanks to custom AMD silicon.
Specifically, it uses a quad-core Zen 2 CPU paired with 8 RDNA 2 compute units for graphics. That allows it to deliver performance on par with the PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
How does that portable power translate into real-world results?
Well, I‘ve played games like God of War and No Man’s Sky with consistently smooth frame rates. AAA titles like Elden Ring also run very playable at ~45 FPS on medium settings.
And if you prefer competitive online games, staples like Rocket League, Apex Legends and DOTA 2 effortlessly achieve 60 FPS for nice fluid gameplay.
While the 800p, 60Hz display is great, I recommend getting a dock to hook the Deck up to a high refresh rate monitor. This will let you leverage the full frame rate potential of esports titles for a super responsive experience.
When it comes to palm-sized gaming PCs, nothing touches the Steam Deck’s firepower.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| SoC | Custom AMD 4-core/8-thread Zen 2 CPU @ 3.5GHz 8 RDNA 2 GPU Compute Units @ 1.6GHz |
| Display Resolution | 1280 x 800 pixels (16:10 aspect ratio) 60Hz refresh rate |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC (base model) 256GB NVMe SSD 512GB NVMe SSD (highest model) |
3. Perfectly Balanced for Extended Gaming
The Steam Deck’s hardware would be meaningless if it was bulky or uncomfortable to use portably. Thankfully, Valve designed it ergonomically specifically for long duration gameplay.
Weighing just 1.47 pounds, you can play for hours without hand strain or fatigue. I especially like the textured grip handles that give you a secure grasp from almost any angle.
All the controls including the analog sticks, D-pad, face buttons and shoulder triggers are optimally positioned and sized too. Compared to trying to play traditional PC games on a mobile device, everything here gives responsive tactile feedback for solid control.
And if you need extra inputs, the Fnatic Bolt is an excellent snap-on accessory that magnetically adds two mappable back paddles. This helps avoid excessive hand repositioning in action oriented titles.
Simply put, the Steam Deck offers best-in-class physical ergonomics that no competitor can match today. Pick it up and all your gaming comfort woes vanish!
4. Transform into a Full-Fledged Console
Like the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck ingeniously bridges handheld and living room gaming experiences via its official Dock.
Just slot the device in, connect the Dock to your TV or monitor‘s HDMI port and you‘ve instantly got a powerful home console. One that leverages the large screen real estate plus allows throwing on external controllers like Xbox gamepads if you wish. And thanks to HDMI 2.0 compatibility, resolutions up to 4K @ 60Hz are supported based on the capabilities of your display.
I‘ve spent plenty of time playing RPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 2 in docked mode with a mouse and keyboard hooked up. It felt great having infinite inventory management shortcuts and precision aiming courtesy of the mouse. And being able to lounge comfortably on my couch rather than sit at at desk was just an added bonus!
Basically if you want the flexibility to effortlessly switch between handheld and living room gaming, no other device pulls it off as seamlessly as the Steam Deck.
5. Cheaply Expand Internal Storage
Onboard SSD storage starts at a meager 64GB on the base Steam Deck model. But adding extra space is fortunately quite affordable thanks to MicroSD card expansion support.
High speed cards sporting capacities up to 1TB are available for $100-150 these days. That‘s more storage than you‘ll likely ever need for installing games. A 512GB card for instance can hold over 50 AAA titles when formatted to EXT4.
And unlike limitations imposed by Nintendo on the Switch, Valve lets you store whatever games or data you want directly on MicroSD cards without hassles. So if the base 64GB space worries you, know that expanding storage later on is a simple plug-and-play affair.
6. Fully Customizable Linux Software Experience
See, the Steam Deck doesn‘t run Windows. Instead, Valve developed SteamOS, a gaming focused Linux distro optimized specifically to extract every ounce of performance from the hardware.
But since SteamOS is still Linux under the hood, you get full desktop access to tinker away however you like!
For example, I installed Firefox via the Discover store to conveniently access cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass. Media apps like Spotify also work great for local music playback.
And emulators including Dolphin (Gamecube/Wii), PCSX2 (Playstation 2) and Duckstation (PS1) can be set up easily to enjoy thousands of classics.
You can even install Microsoft Office if work suddenly calls when you least expect it!
So whether you just want to augment gaming functionality or go all out with creative customizations, the Steam Deck is the ultimate versatile portable PC.
7. The Ultimate All-In-One Retro Emulation Device
In addition to native Steam games, the Steam Deck doubles down as an incredible emulator machine for revisiting childhood console classics.
See, emulation requires serious CPU horsepower for accurately replicating aging hardware in software. And the Steam Deck‘s Zen 2 cores deliver exactly that – exceptional single threaded performance beating most laptop chips.
Combine this with SteamOS granting simple emulator installation from Discover, associated online stores for games and purpose built tools like EmuDeck for management, nothing simplifies retro gaming more than this handheld.
Personally, I‘ve greatly enjoyed reliving PS2 titles like Shadow of the Colossus, God Hand and Silent Hill 2 courtesy of the fantastic PCSX2 emulator. N64 classics like Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64 and F-Zero X also never felt more responsive thanks to m64p‘s tight code and the raw power available.
And the huge, vibrant screen plus analog sticks make this the definitive way to experience these older games today.
If you have any nostalgia for past gaming eras, the Steam Deck is simply peerless as an all-in-one retro emulator machine.
8. Phenomenal Long Term Company Support
Hardware is only as good as the software that runs on it. And Valve has demonstrated amazing commitment to continually improving the Steam Deck user experience since launch.
Active community feedback channels like Steam discussions allow directly reporting bugs, issues and suggestion improvements. Valve actually listens too – releasing updates every 1-2 weeks addressing major pain points and adding fan requested features.
Some examples include:
- Adding per game performance profiles for controlling TDP apportioning
- Allowing seamless Bluetooth device pairing without restarts
- Improving screen sleep behavior to prevent accidental wake ups
- Supporting automatic game syncing across multiple Decks
This level of responsive support 12 months post launch is almost unheard of today. And it gives me confidence that the Steam Deck will continue getting better over its lifetime.
9. Simply Unbeatable Value
When you tally up everything it delivers in a reasonably priced package, no other device can match the Steam Deck‘s value proposition.
Let‘s quickly compare pricing across models:
| Model | Storage | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 64 GB | $399 |
| Mid | 256 GB | $529 |
| High | 512 GB | $649 |
For context, an equivalent specced gaming laptop with similar RAM, SSD capacity and discrete graphics costs $800 at minimum. And that‘s before factoring sheer portability, controller ergonomics, docked mode flexibility and battery efficiency where the Deck thoroughly crushes traditional laptops.
Frankly, it almost feels criminal equating laptop and desktop pricing to the Deck. Because beyond sheer processing capabilities, no computer bundles this level of versatility, utility and convenience so affordably.
When combining capabilities across portable powerhouse, docked home console, endlessly flexible software platform and retro emulation beast, the Steam Deck simply has no equal when it comes to value.
I hope this detailed breakdown gives you a clearer perspective of why the Steam Deck should be at the top of your shopping list in 2023 as well.
To quickly summarize:
✔️ Enjoy your entire Steam library on the go
✔️ Packs desktop-class gaming power
✔️ Extremely comfortable and ergonomic design
✔️ Easily transform into a home console
✔️ Expand storage cheaply via MicroSD
✔️ Customizable Linux software environment
✔️ Ultimate retro emulation versatility
✔️ Phenomenal long term company support
✔️ Unbeatable value proposition
Given its unique combination of capabilities, there simply exists no comparable device that delivers this level of flexible utility for both gaming enthusiasts and casual users alike.
So why not treat yourself to the ultimate handheld PC? Join the Steam Deck revolution and rediscover your gaming passion, wherever life takes you!
